Automatic fire-shutter.



30.881,25@ l' l I kMTENTEDMAR.1o,1908. E. H. MOGLOUD. AUTOMATIC f1-R5 SHUTTBR.

f APPL'IOATION FILED 11.13125, 1907.

M ma am/Hmm 231.664@ i EDWARD HARRISON MCCLOUD, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO,

Specification of Letters Patent.

'Patented March 10, 1908.

Application med February 25, 1901. serial No. 359,196.

To all whomvit may concern/.

Be it known that I, EDWARD HARRISON i, MCCLOUD, a citizen of the United States, re-

`means of "adjusting and re-adjusting siding at Columbus', in the county of Franklin and State of OhioI have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire- Shutters, of which the following is a'speciication. i

My invention relates to a class of fire shutters, which clo'se automatically, upon a dangerous rise of temperature in the immediate vicinity.

The object of my invention is to provide a shutter of A this' character, which can be wholly or partly re-opened with the assistance of its counterbalance, and to providesimplle t e counterbalance, whereby the impact of the descending shutter can be graduated and minimized.y I attain these objects b v the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, through the curtain, barrel and supporting brackets. Fig. 2 is an end view of one of the supporting brackets with the releasing device closed. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same bracket with the releasing device op'en. Fig. 4, 'a front elevation ofthe bracketwith the device open.

Similar letters and numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The barrel C is mounted on and secured to 'the pieces c1 and c2: the pieces c2 and c4 rotate upon the shaft c3: the periphery of c4 is 'secured to the-barrel C one end of the spring c.5 connects to the shoulder on c4; the other end connects vto the piece c, which in turn is fixed to the shaft c3; the shaft c7 projecting from the center oi' c1 is free to rotate in the bearing a1 on the bracket A. The arm b is attached to the gear b4 which vis loosely mounted on a stud; the arm b5 is attached to the gear b which is rigidly mounted on the shaft c3; the shaft c3 is rotatable in the bearing b1 on the bracket B, but is held stationary by the intermittent gears b and b4 and levers b7 and bs, these are retained in position by the wire D and the fusible connection d1. The end lof the spring which is connected to c remains stationary, the opposite end connected to c4 rotateswith the barrel'when the shutter is drawn down, thereby causing the spring to exert a torsional resistance which counterballances the weight of the shutter.

lswings downward', freeing The 'shutter Eis coiled upon the barrel except the hanging portion c1; it is held in position by the tension of the spring which just exceeds the weight of suspended pd tion el.l The tooth on gear b9 meshes with thexnotchesl b3 and is employed in rotating the ,gear b4 bringing into engagement the arms and b, thereby preventing further rotation of the shaft c3. The levers 67 and bs are designed to open by gravitation upon the separation ofA the fusible connection d1. Y

The mode of operation is as follows: Upon a dangerous rise in temperature, the fusible connection d1, separates; the lever 67 swin s back to a perpendicular, and the lever s the projectingpart b from the notch b3, permitting the shaft c3 and the end of the spring fastened thereon to rotate, thus the spring is rendered unresistive or inoperative, and the shutter descends, impelled by its own weight, exerting through the spring, power enough toro-J tate the gear bf: with each rotation the ear vb is turned through a fractional part o its circumference, equal to the spacing of the notches b3. This action continues until the extending arms b5 and 'b6 are'. brought 'together, whenI the rotation of the shaft c3 and I the end of the spring, fastened thereon, is stopped. This, however, does not prevent further rotation of the barrel, which contin-- ues until the shutter is down; with the sto page of the shaft c3, the spring is broug t completely into action, thereby offering a 4 torsional resistance to the momentum of the descending shutter, and reducing the impact with which it would strike. To accomplish the results here described the number of revolutions madeby the gear b" will be less than that made by the barrel C: the relation being variable and adjusted by the initial setting of the gears b and b4 with respect to the arms b5 and b".

metho of releasing the spring in its entirety is that there is absolutely no resistance from it to impede the shutter at the commencement of its descent. 'lhe resistance offered The (particular advantage claim for this I in rotating theA intermittent gear is comparatively small and occurs after the shutter is under way the final resistance is sufficient to moderate the striking blow of the shutter, v

and will enable persons who ,might be imprisoned in a'burning building to raise the same. The distance which the shutter can i be raised Will be governed! by the amount .bf tensionreserved in the spring after the arms b5 and b have locked i I am aware that there are inventions of similarnature; those using a single spring,

Areserving a portion of its power for the purpose already described, are only automatic in their action; those that are automatically closed, and ordinarily operative by other "means, utilize two or more springs.

It will be observed that my invention providesmeans automatically operating upon a dangerous rise of temperature, and in ordinary use, manually, either by a handle placed in the bottom of the shutter or a chain-carrying sprocket mounted on a projecting shaft c7.

The inventions heretofore referred to have no means of determining, after the spring has been released, the 'exact number of initial turns that Were placed upon it, which can only be correctly ascertained by trial, where.- as my invention eliminates this diiiiculty, and the springl can be reset to' its original state by turning the gear back until the arm b6 comes in contact with the sfcrevv blo.

`What I claim and ydesire to secure by Let;

ters Patent iszl. ln combination with a fire shutter, a shutter-carrying barrel, supports therefor, a counterbalan'ce for said shutter, means auto- 'matically acting on a dangerous rise in temperature of successively rendering the counheld, and means of subsequently arresting the rotation of said shaft.

4. 'In a rolling fire shutter, a barrel for carrying said shutter, supporting f brackets therefor, a rotatable shaft supported by one of said brackets, a rotatable shaft tempo rarily held, sppported by other said bracket,

- a spring connecting the rotatable shaft temporarily held,- and the rotatable barrel; means for automatically, upon a dangerous rise in temperature, liberatlng the rotatable shaft temporarily held and means adjustable for subsequently arresting the rotation of said shaft.

5. In connection with a fire shutter, a rotatable barrel`with shafts projecting from the ends thereof, journaled ingjsupporting bracke s, said barrel containing a spring or springs therein, and connected therebyl to one of said shafts, having fixed thereon a gear with' a projecting arm, said gear engaging a gear with projecting-arm, mounted on one of said brackets, and held stationary by levers, and an element fusible on a dangerous 'rise in temperature.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EDWARD HARRISN MCCLOUD.

Witnesses CHARLES MORTEN, Unas. BnAsnEAR. 

